{"id":108230,"date":"2026-06-15T11:52:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T06:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=108230"},"modified":"2026-06-15T11:52:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T06:22:56","slug":"indian-seafarers-under-fire-challenges-of-protecting-citizens-in-the-gulf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indian-seafarers-under-fire-challenges-of-protecting-citizens-in-the-gulf\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Seafarers Under Fire: Challenges of Protecting Citizens in the Gulf"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Indian Seafarers Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has lodged a strong protest with the United States after the U.S. Navy fired missiles at three merchant ships carrying Indian crew members in the Gulf region. One of these attacks killed three Indian seafarers aboard the tanker Settebello.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India summoned a U.S. Embassy representative to register its objection. In response, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that violations of the American blockade and &#8220;illicit transport of Iranian oil&#8221; would not be tolerated.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EAM reiterated India&#8217;s position publicly, calling such lethal action against commercial shipping &#8220;not justified.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How Many Indians Work as Seafarers, and Where<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has an estimated <\/span><b>3.5 lakh seafarers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> working on ships around the world \u2014 meaning <\/span><b>one in every six seafarers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> globally is Indian.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than half of them are in active service at any given time, mostly on foreign-flagged ships (ships registered under another country&#8217;s flag).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Gulf region specifically, India&#8217;s shipping authority (DG Shipping) estimates around <\/span><b>23,000 Indian seafarers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are currently working, with more than half based in the UAE.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimates that around 20,000 seafarers of all nationalities are currently stranded on ships in the Persian Gulf due to the ongoing tensions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What Are &#8220;Sanctions,&#8221; and Why Were These Ships Targeted<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marivex was sanctioned by the U.S. in December 2025 for alleged Iranian connections.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Settebello had been flagged (identified as suspicious) by an American advocacy group called United Against Nuclear Iran, also citing Iranian links.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s important to understand: U.S. sanctions only legally apply within the U.S. \u2014 they are not automatically binding on other countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, sanctions have serious real-world consequences. Once a ship or its operating company is sanctioned, it often loses access to the international financial system and, critically, loses insurance cover.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without insurance, ports refuse to let the ship dock, and cargo owners refuse to use the ship \u2014 effectively crippling its operations even without direct military action.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why Does the &#8220;Flag&#8221; of a Ship Matter So Much<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All three ships were registered under &#8220;<\/span><b>flags of convenience<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8221; (FOCs) \u2014 meaning they were <\/span><b>officially registered<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in countries like Panama, Marshall Islands, Liberia, or Guinea-Bissau (in this case, Palau for Settebello), even though their actual ownership and management had strong Indian links.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a common practice in global shipping \u2014 companies register ships in countries with lighter regulations and oversight, regardless of where the ship&#8217;s owners, crew, or operators are actually based.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such flags are also commonly used by ships carrying Russian or Iranian oil, since FOC countries are less likely to enforce sanctions strictly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why This Limits India&#8217;s Options<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a ship were Indian-flagged, India would have a much clearer legal basis to act \u2014 for example, the Indian Navy could escort or protect it more directly, citing its right to protect its own vessels.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Historically, during the Iran-Iraq war, the U.S. got several ships to re-flag as American specifically so it could legally escort them through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since these ships were foreign-flagged, India&#8217;s legal standing to intervene is much weaker \u2014 even though the crew, and in some cases the operational links, were Indian.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What Can India Actually Do<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has previously shown it can and will act to protect its seafarers \u2014 for example, through <\/span><b>Operation Sankalp<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, under which the Indian Navy and Coast Guard protected four merchant ships from Houthi attacks in 2024, and earlier action was taken against Somali pirates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the current situation is different and far more difficult for India to navigate.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Houthis and Somali pirates are non-state actors \u2014 relatively easier for India to act against without major diplomatic fallout.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this case, the parties involved are the United States and Iran \u2014 two powerful states locked in direct conflict.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This significantly limits India&#8217;s room for manoeuvre, leaving diplomatic protest as the primary tool available for now.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Does International Law Protect Seafarers<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main global body for shipping rules is the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN agency.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While IMO sets technical, safety, and environmental standards through consensus, it has <\/span><b>no real power to stop<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><b>punish<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> military attacks on ships \u2014 when individual nations act unilaterally, the IMO has historically been unable to intervene.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The broader legal framework for the oceans is the <\/span><b>United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 a comprehensive treaty covering issues like passage through straits (such as Hormuz).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, UNCLOS has significant gaps in practice: the United States has never signed UNCLOS (it objects to provisions treating the deep seabed as a global commons), and Iran has signed but never ratified it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crucially, there is no overarching global authority that can enforce these rules \u2014 ultimately, outcomes depend on the goodwill and restraint of individual governments.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When global powers clash, it is often ordinary workers \u2014 far from any battlefield \u2014 who pay the price.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For India, with hundreds of thousands of seafarers sailing under foreign flags, this episode is a sobering reminder that economic globalisation has outpaced the legal frameworks meant to protect those who keep it running.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b><strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/business\/indian-sailors-dead-oman-tanker-where-indian-seafarers-safety-is-at-stake\/article71100738.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2271901&amp;reg=48&amp;lang=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">PIB<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indian Seafarers face growing risks amid Gulf tensions. Explore sanctions, foreign-flagged ships, international law and India&#8217;s options for protecting its citizens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":108247,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[8137,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-108230","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-indian-seafarers","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs-tag","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108230"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108250,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108230\/revisions\/108250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}